The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has recently named Kishan Khoday as the Resident Representative for Jamaica, Belize, Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos Islands, effective as of January 22, 2024.
Expanded role in the Caribbean
As the Resident Representative based at the UNDP Multi-Country Office in Jamaica, Khoday will not only serve Jamaica but also represent UNDP in Bermuda, Cayman Islands, The Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Additionally, he will assume the role of Resident Representative to Belize, facilitated by the UNDP Belize office situated in Belmopan.
Diplomatic presentations in the Western Caribbean
In a series of diplomatic meetings across the western Caribbean, Kishan Khoday, a Canadian national of Indian descent, presented his credentials to key officials.
These meetings included encounters with Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Senator the Honourable Kamina Johnson Smith, Bermuda’s Deputy Premier and Minister of Home Affairs, Honourable Walter Roban, and the Director General in The Bahamas’ Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Strengthening multilateral partnerships
Minister Johnson Smith emphasized the productive collaboration between Jamaica and UNDP, particularly in addressing critical issues like poverty reduction, climate change, disaster risk management, coral reef protection, and advancing gender equality.
This collaboration underscores the shared commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.
Promising collaborations for economic empowerment
Bermuda’s Deputy Premier, Honourable Walter Roban, acknowledged the ongoing partnership between UNDP and Bermuda, particularly highlighting the joint efforts on the Building Back Equal project aimed at empowering marginalized groups such as women, youth, and persons with disabilities.
Areas of ongoing cooperation in The Bahamas
In The Bahamas, Director General Jerusa Ali praised the significant cooperation with UNDP, particularly in disaster resilience, climate change adaptation, and mitigation.
She outlined potential areas for further collaboration, including digitization and data collection.
Commitment to inclusive and sustainable development
Kishan Khoday affirmed his commitment to supporting the development aspirations of the nations served by the Multi-Country Office.
He highlighted UNDP’s strategic approach outlined in its current Country Programme in Jamaica, focusing on combating multidimensional poverty and advancing climate-resilient, nature-based pathways.
Extensive experience and expertise
Khoday has served with UNDP for 25 years, having coordinated over USD $1 billion in country programming to help partners and communities around the world advance inclusive and sustainable development pathways.
This included tours of duty with UNDP Country Offices in China, Saudi Arabia and Indonesia and with UNDP’s regional offices for the Middle East and North Africa based in Egypt and Jordan.
Prior to joining the UN, Khoday worked with government and community organizations in his home countries of Canada and India on issues of poverty reduction, ecological resilience, and community empowerment.
Khoday is a scientist and lawyer, holding a Juris Doctorate specializing in constitutional, international, and environmental law; a Master of Science in natural resource management focused on land and water systems, and a Bachelor of Science in agriculture specializing in biodiversity and ecological change.
The UNDP Resident Representative is a frequent speaker at international conferences and policy dialogues on the development agenda and a recognized thought leader on strategic issues such as climate change, ecosystem resilience, constitutionalism, postcolonial and decolonial theory, and resilience-based approaches to development, having published extensively on these and other issues.
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